Heads of State at the 19th Francophonie Summit in Paris, France, Oct 4, 2024

After a long period of severe controversies related to the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), a new step towards the worse may be on the way.  The situation has worsened during the 19th  OIF Summit held in Villers-Cotterêts Château and the Grand Palais in in Hauts-de-France , Paris France on Oct. 4-5, 2024.  Some key heads of French speaking countries avoided the summit,  the President of the country with the highest number of people speaking French, after France, exited the Summit following the controversial speech of French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of some key countries have decided to move away from French as the official language, while others have started breaking long term relations with France. Also, a top  leader of a French political opposition party has publicly been expressing the people's disappointments regarding the way the OIF summit was led.  The question now is whether, given all the controversies and dynamics, the Francophonie, widely termed MacroKagoPhonie by some critics, will survive.

Rwandan activists protesting against Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Montreal, Canada in April 2006

In March 2022,  the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU) sanctioned Russia for its attacks  and the consequential war crimes and human tragedies in Ukraine. The sanctions imposed by the US and EU included banning the export of their dollar and euro banknotes to Russia. To circumvent the sanctions, the Russian Government approached some African dictators and made agreements to purchase banknotes directly from these African dictatorships and ship them directly to Russia. According to several media investigations and classified reports the main african partner of Russia on these agreements is the Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame.

Emmanuel Macron and Paul Kagame in Paris in December 2021

From the beginning of the year 2024  to the days leading to July 2024, across the  World, general elections have been held.  In most countries, people have been expecting changes, while in some, the situation has not improved and tough days may be coming. AfroAmerica Network has focused on a few elections held or planned in 2024. Highly competitive parliamentary elections were scheduled in France  in July 6, 2024.   Based on the results  as of July 7,  2024, the Leftist Coalition,  New Popular Front (Nouveau Front Populaire - NFP),  is  predicted to win  the elections and become the largest group in the parliament. With the landslide victory  Jean-Luc Melenchon,  the prominent leader  of one leftist party, La France Insoumise (LFI), declared the readiness to govern. The win comes a few months after Jean-Luc Melenchon, during a visit in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) affirmed his fraternity with the DRC government in fighting against the abuses and the invasion  by the Rwandan government led by dictator Paul Kagame.

Sir Keir Starmer, New UK Prime Minister's First Speech at 10 Downing Street on July 5, 2024

From the beginning of the year 2024  to the days leading to July 2024, across the  World, general elections have been held.  In most countries, people are expecting changes, while in some, the situation has not improved and tough days may be coming. AfroAmerica Network has focused on a few elections held or planned in 2024. Controversial elections  in Rwanda and UK were scheduled for July 2024.   Now, during in the July 4,  2024 general elections, the Conservative party has suffered a major defeat. The Labour party had a landslide victory after the votes counts on  July 5, 2024 with  412 out of 650 seats in the House of Commons and  Sir Keir Starmer has become the UK's new Prime Minister. On his first day as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that the Rwanda deportation scheme was "dead and buried."

Paul Kagame and Wife Jeannette in Kigali in February 8, 2023

On Thursday February 1, 2024, US President Joe Biden and top U.S. leaders gathered in Washington DC, for the National Prayer Breakfast. The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event attended by leaders from the government institutions, including the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Judiciary system, and the government. The event was organized by the nonprofit National Prayer Breakfast Foundation and is open to all faiths. As the event was happening,  a new drama involving the Rwandan dictator General Paul Kagame unfolded and has fueled unanswered questions and speculations about his waning relevance  as a political leader and about the power struggles in Rwanda.  His speech has raised  concerns about whether he is the president of an oligarchy of Tutsis or the president of a unified and reconciled nation that includes Hutus, Tutsis, and Twas.

Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye sworn in on June 18, 2020

On January 11, 2024, the government of Burundi closed its borders with Rwanda after accusing its neighbour of funding  the attacks by Red Tabara, a burundian militia allegedly founded, funded, and reinforced by Rwandan Defense Forces. The border closing comes as tensions between Rwanda on one side and DRC and  Burundi, on the other, have been rising, with the possibility of a regional war including EAC and SADC countries.